Main
Samuel Workman, Ph.D.
I am a political scientist working at the intersection of public policy, data science, and statistics. I specialize in public policy, the bureaucracy, regulatory politics, and statistics. My interests involve text-as-data, machine learning, and statistical modeling, especially classificationj stochastic processes, and maximum likelihood methods. I teach courses in public policy, agenda setting, regulatory policy, and statistics. My current academic projects examine congressional bureaucracies, the regulatory politics of education policy, and agenda setting in food policy.
I also provide statistical consulting in the private sector, specializing in the grocery floral category. My work focuses on data-driven decision-making and management, custom reporting, and data-informed programming.
Skills & Experience
- Policy research, data management, statistical analysis & modeling, presentation, reporting & data visualization, machine learning, storytelling with data
- Project Management, grant writing, team leadership & coordination, public speaking
- Market, sales, and inventory analysis, reporting, and visualization, data-driven decision-making and management
- Languages: , \(\LaTeX\), SAS, SPSS, VBA, SQL, Markdown, CSS, HTML
- Applications: Rstudio, WinEdt, Beamer, binb, xaringan, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, SQLite, MS Access
Academic Positions
Associate Professor of Political Science
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2020 - 2016
- Faculty Affiliate, National Institute for Risk & Resilience
- Faculty Member, Big Data & Statistics Working Group
- Faculty Affiliate, The Comparative Agendas Project, University of Texas
Assistant Professor of Political Science
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2016 - 2014
- Faculty Affiliate, Center for Risk & Crisis Management
- Faculty Affiliate, Center for Intelligence & National Security
Lecturer in American Politics
Sciences Po
Bordeaux, FR
2014
Assistant Professor of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2013 - 2010
- Associate Director, Policy Agendas Project
J.J. “Jake” Pickle Research Fellow
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2010 - 2008
Private Sector Data & Statistical Consulting
Interests
- Public Policy
- Regulation
- Bureaucracy
- Agenda Setting
- Education Policy
- Use of Research & Data
- Food Policy & Food Systems
Approaches
- Text-as-Data
- Text Classification
- Storytelling with Data
- Machine Learning
- Maximum Likelihood
- Stochastic Processes
Current Projects
- Use of research in Education regulations
- The politics of data & numbers
- Complexity & the regulation of GMOs
- The politics of food security
Chief Data & Statistical Consultant
Hi-Rise Balloons & Floral Supplies, Inc.
Austin, TX USA
2019 - 2018
- Statistical Analysis, Reporting, & Visualization
- Custom reporting & data-informed programming
- Sales, Marketing, & Inventory Analysis
Editorial Positions & Boards
Associate Editor
Public Administration
Wiley-Blackwell
2020 - 2016
Editorial Board Member
Policy Studies Journal
Wiley-Blackwell
2020 - 2019
Education
Ph.D., Political Science
University of Washington
Seattle, WV
2009 - 2005
- Fields: American Politics, Public Policy, & Research Methodology
- Dissertation: Economizing Attention: Agendas and the Influence of Bureaucracy in American Politics
- Graduate Fellow of the Center for American Politics & Public Policy
M.A., Political Science
University of Washington
Seattle, WV
2005 - 2003
- Fields: American Politics & Research Methodology
- Manager: Policy Agendas Project
- Donald R. Matthews Fellow
M.A., Political Science
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
2003 - 2001
- Fields: American Politics & Public Policy
- Certification: Public Policy Analysis
- Philip V. McGance Fellow
B.S., Industrial Relations & Human Resources
West Virginia University, IT
Montgomery, WV
2001 - 1997
- Specialization: Economics & Labor Relations
Training & Certificates
Award in Wines, WSET Level 1
Wine & Spirits Education Trust - London, UK
Dallas Wine Education Center
2019
Grape Management (Certificate)
Oklahoma State University
Perkins, OK
2016
Pregnancy Determination in Cattle (Certificate)
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service
Gainsville, TX
2015
AI Management in Cattle
North Central Texas College
Gainsville, TX
2015
Program in Quantitative Methods
Inter-Consortium for Political & Social Research, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
2005
Public Policy Analysis (Certificate)
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
2003
Books
Methods of the Policy Process
Routlege
Abingdon, UK
2020
- Christopher M. Weible & Samuel Workman
- Under Contract
The Dynamics of Bureaucracy in the U.S. Government: How Congress and Federal Agencies Process Information and Solve Problems
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge, UK
2015
- Samuel Workman
- Reviewed in Perspectives on Politics , 2016, Vol. 14(2), pp. 572–574.
- Reviewed in the Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, 2017, Vol. 27(4), pp. 711–713.
Grants & Awards
Funding Organization Review
National Science Foundation
- Political Science
- Law & Society
- Science of Organizations
- Decision, Risk, & Management Sciences
Organizational Problem Solving and the Use of Research in Education Policy
National Science Foundation, Science of Organizations, Award No. 1827494, $455,640
N/A
2021 - 2018
- Samuel Workman (PI) and Deven Carlson (Co-PI)
Economizing Attention: Agendas and the Influence of Bureaucracy in American Policymaking
*National Science Foundation, Political Science Program Dissertation Improvement Grant, Award No. 0819429, $11,999
N/A
2010 - 2008
- Bryan D. Jones (PI) and Samuel Workman (Co-PI)
Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Grant
College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, $34,770
N/A
2010 - 2009
- Bryan D. Jones (PI) and Samuel Workman (Co-PI)
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship
College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, $2,000
N/A
2010
- Samuel Workman
Travel Grant
Center for Statistics in the Social Sciences, University of Washington, $1,000
N/A
2008
- Samuel Workman
Articles
Drawing practical lessons from punctuated equilibrium theory
Policy & Politics, Vol. 46 no. 2 (April), pp. 293–308
N/A
2018
- Chris Koski & Samuel Workman
Problem Definition and Information Provision by Federal Bureaucrats
Cognitive Systems Research, Vol. 43 (June), pp. 140–152
N/A
2017
- Samuel Workman, JoBeth Shafran, & Tracey Bark
Knot Policy Theory
Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 44 no. S1, pp. 123–132
N/A
2016
- Christian Breunig, Chris Koski, & Samuel Workman
Widespread Policy Disruption: Terrorism, Public Risks, and Homeland Security
Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 37 no. 2, pp. 171–194
N/A
2009
- Peter J. May, Joshua Sapotichne, & Samuel Workman
Widespread Policy Disruption and Interest Mobilization
Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 37 no. 4, pp. 793–815
N/A
2009
- Peter J. May, Joshua Sapotichne, & Samuel Workman
Information Processing and Policy Dynamics
Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 37 no. 1, pp. 75–92
N/A
2009
- Samuel Workman, Bryan D. Jones, & Ashley E. Jochim
Organizing Attention: Responses of the Bureaucracy to Agenda Disruption
Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, Vol. 18 no. 4, pp. 517–541
N/A
2008
- Peter J. May, Samuel Workman, & Bryan D. Jones
Policy Coherence and Policy Domains
Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 34 no. 3, pp. 381–403
N/A
2006
- Peter J. May, Joshua Sapotichne, & Samuel Workman
Book Chapters
Struggle and Triumph in Fusing Policy Process and Comparative Research
Theories of the Policy Process, Chap. 9, pp. 329–362
N/A
2017
- Jale Tosun & Samuel Workman
Communications Frameworks and the Supply of Information in Policy Subsystems
Policy Paradigms in Theory and Practice: Discourses, Ideas, and Anomalies in Public Policy Dynamics, Chap. 12, pp. 239–268
N/A
2015
- Samuel Workman & JoBeth Shafran
Policymaking, Bureaucratic Discretion, and Overhead Democracy
The Oxford Handbook of American Bureaucracy, Chap. 26, pp. 612–637
N/A
2010
- Samuel Workman, Bryan D. Jones, & Ashley E. Jochim
The Paradox of Agency Issue Attention: The Bush Administration and Homeland Security
President George W. Bush’s Influence over Bureaucracy and Policy: Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Powers, Chap. 7, 123–146
N/A
2009
- Peter J. May & Samuel Workman
Behavioral Rationality and the Policy Processes: Toward A New Model of Organizational Information Processing
Handbook of Public Policy, Chap. 3, pp. 49–74
N/A
2006
- Bryan D. Jones, Graeme Boushey, & Samuel Workman
Blogs
Trump, Governance, and the Nature of Policy Reform
Policy Studies Journal Yearbook
N/A
2018
- Hank C. Jenkins-Smith & Samuel Workman
Using information processing theory to build a smarter government
Policy & Politics Blog
N/A
2018
- Chris Koski & Samuel Workman
How do we get governments to make better decisions?
Paul Cairney’s Policy Blog
N/A
2017
- Chris Koski & Samuel Workman
Policy Implementation, Representation, and Democratic Governance
Midwest Political Science Association Blog
N/A
2016
- Samuel Workman
Interviews
OU Nighlty Super Tuesday 2020
Interviewed by Lindsey Gibbs, OU Nightly Anchor, March 3rd
N/A
2020
- Samuel Workman
Episode 17: Bryan Jones and Frank Baumgartner
The Co-Authored Podcast, Megaphone - Heath Brown, Host
N/A
2020
- Samuel Workman
Episode 8: Education Policy & Problem Solving
Policy Agenda Podcast, STITCHER - E.J.Fagan & Katherine Madel, Hosts, April 30th
N/A
2019
- Samuel Workman & Deven Carlson
Reviews & Responses
Thinking in Public about Public Affairs: A Response to, and Expansion of, Zuo, Qian, and Zhao
Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 47 no. S1, pp. S181–S185
N/A
2019
- Samuel Workman
Review of The Politics of Major Policy Reform in Postwar America, Edited by Jeffrey A. Jenkins and Sidney M. Milkis
Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 14 no. 2, pp. 567–568
N/A
2016
- Samuel Workman
Fellowships & Scholarships
College Research Fellowship
College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2011
Fellow of the J.J. “Jake” Pickle Regents Chair in Congressional Studies
College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2011 - 2010
Graduate Fellow in American Politics and Public Policy
Center for American Politics and Public Policy, University of Washington
Seattle, WA USA
2008 - 2003
Clifford C. Clogg Scholarship
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI USA
2005
Donald R. Matthews Fellow
Department of Political Science, University of Washington
Seattle, WA USA
2004 - 2003
Phillip V. McGance Fellow
Department of Political Science, West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV USA
2003 - 2001
Teaching
Approach & Philosophy
My approach to teaching is interactive and geared toward skills development. I also emphasize bringing research & data into the classroom. Excersizes involve considerable writing, story-telling with data, and opportunities to develop policy briefs and data analytic skills.
Ph.D. Advisees
- Gloria Noble, Ph.D. (exp. 2021)
- Periloux Peay, Ph.D. (exp. 2020): Georgia State University
- Tracey Bark, Ph.D. (2019): Auburn University, Montgomery
Ph.D. Committees
The University of Oklahoma
- Aarika Forney, Ph.D. (exp. 2020)
- Lihui Zhang, Ph.D. (exp. 2020)
- Matthew Geras, Ph.D. (exp. 2020)
- Elizabeth Bell, Ph.D. (2019)
- Jessica Hayden, Ph.D. (2018)
- Paul Valentine, Ph.D. (2018)
- Victoria Rickard, Ph.D. (2017)
- David Oakley, M.A. (2017)
Ph.D. Committees
The University of Texas at Austin
- Jonathan Lewallen, Ph.D. (2017)
- Michelle Wolfe, Ph.D. (2016)
- JoBeth Shafran, Ph.D. (2015)
- Sarat Krishnan, Ph.D. (2015)
- Daniel Sternemann, Ph.D. (2013)
- Dorothy Morgan, Ph.D. (2012)
Graduate Teaching
Maximum Likelihood Estimation
University of Oklahoma, P SC 5940
Norman, OK USA
2020
- 2017 & 2020
Agenda Setting in Public Policy
University of Oklahoma, P SC 5053
Norman, OK USA
2019
- 2017 & 2019
Data Visualization
The University of Oklahoma, P SC 5940 & The University of Texas at Austin, GOV 385L
Norman, OK & Austin, TX
2016
- 2010, 2014, & 2016
Intermediate Analysis of Political Data
The University of Oklahoma, P SC 5933
Norman, OK USA
2015
Field Seminar in Public Policy
The University of Oklahoma, P SC 6223
Norman, OK USA
2014
Bureaucracy & Policy Implementation
The University of Texas at Austin, GOV 384M
Austin, TX USA
2011
Undergraduate Teaching
Bureaucracy & Citizenship
The University of Oklahoma, P SC 3113
Norman, OK USA
2020
- 2014 & 2020
Introducation to Political Analysis
The University of Oklahoma, P SC 2013
Norman, OK USA
2019
- 2018 (2 sections) & 2019
Regulatory Policy
The University of Oklahoma, P SC 4213
Norman, OK USA
2016
- 2015 & 2016
American Government
The University of Texas at Austin, GOV 310
Austin, TX USA
2013
- 2010 - 2013 (13 sections)
Public Lectures
Undergrad Mentorship
- Ryan Marsh, B.A. (exp. 2020)
- Royce Chang, B.S. (2012)
University of Kentucky
Martin School of Public Policy & Administration
Lexington, KY USA
2017
- “Congressional Bureaucracy, Policy Analysis, and Governance in the Administrative State”
The University of Texas at Arlington
Haggard Lecture Series
Arlington, TX USA
2017
- “Delegated Oversight, Institutional Conflict, and the Macro Dynamics of Legislative Policy Analysis”
University of Colorado, Denver
School of Public Affairs
Denver, CO USA
2017
- “Governance and Adaptive Problem Solving in the Administrative State”
The University of Texas at Austin
Thompson Center Continuing Education
Austin, TX USA
2013
- “Teaching AP American Politics & Policy”
Aarhus University
Department of Political Science
Aarhus, DK
2013
- “Bureaucracy and Problem Solving: Information Processing in the Administrative State”
The University of Oklahoma
Department of Political Science
Norman, OK USA
2012
- “Bureaucracy and “Information Processing: Risk and Governing in the Administrative State”
The University of Oklahoma
Department of Political Science
Norman, OK USA
2011
- “Information Processing & Policy Dynamics”
BI Norwegian Business School
Department of Law & Governance
Oslow, NO
2011
- “Attention, Politics, or Performance? Competing Influences on Oversight by Analytical Bureaucracies in the Regulatory State”
Vanderbilt University
Department of Political Science
N/A
2011
- “Confronting the Administrative Presidency: Analytical Bureaucracy and Congressional Governance”
Texas A & M University
Department of Political Science
College Station, TX USA
2010
- “The Supply and Demand of Bureaucratic Signals”
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Government
Austin, TX USA
2008
- “Bureaucratic Signaling and Congressional Priorities in Securities Regulation”
University of Colorado
Department of Political Science
Boulder, CO USA
2008
- “Bureaucratic Signaling and Congressional Priorities in Securities Regulation”
University of Oxford
Nuffield College
Oxford, UK
2007
- “The Paradox of Agency Issue Attention: The Bush Administration and the Undermining of Homeland Security”
Conference Presentations
Chair or Organizer
- International Conference on Public Policy 2015
- Midwest Political Science Association 2010–2013 & 2017
- Southern Political Science Association 2011
- Southwestern Social Science Association 2017
- American Political Science Association (APSA)
- 2002, 2005, 2007–2010, 2012, 2015–2017 & 2019
- Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA)
- 2003, 2006–2011, 2013, 2016–2017 & 2019
- Comparative Agendas Projects Conference (CAP)
- 2010, 2014, 2016, & 2017
- European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)
- 2014 & 2017
- European Political Science Association (EPSA)
- 2016
- Southwestern Social Science Association (SSSA)
- 2017
- International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP)
- 2013, 2015, & 2019
- International Conference on Food Studies
- 2012 & 2015
- Western Political Science Association (WPSA)
- 2014
- Southern Political Science Association (SPSA)
- 2009 & 2020
- Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM)
- 2005–2007, & 2019
Positions in Discipline
Discussant
- Midwest Political Science Association 2010–2013, 2016–2017, & 2019
- Comparative Policy Agendas Project Conference 2014 & 2017
- Congress & History 2016
- Southern Political Science Association 2009 & 2011
- Southwestern Social Science Association 2017
- Association of Public Policy and Management 2019
Mentor
American Political Science Association
N/A
2020 - 2016
Mentor
Midwest Political Science Association
N/A
2020 - 2016
Section Chair, Public Management
Southern Political Science Association
N/A
2019
Presidential Selection Committee, Midwest Public Administration Caucus (MPAC)
Midwest Political Science Association
N/A
2018
Committee Chair, Best Paper in Public Policy
American Political Science Association
N/A
2016
Section Chair, Bureaucratic Politics
Midwest Political Science Association
N/A
2015 - 2014
Section Chair, Public Policy
Midwest Political Science Association
N/A
2012
Executive Council, Public Administration Section
American Political Science Association
N/A
2012 - 2009
Service
University
Outside-Committee Member (ACR Service) for Paul Plummer (Ph.D. - Math)
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2020 - 2017
Signature Initiative Committee: Advancing the Study of Water, Natural Resources, and the Environment
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2019 - 2017
Department
Chair, Research Methodology Field
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2020 - 2016
Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2020 - 2016
Graduate Admissions & Funding Committee
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2020 - 2014
Peer Teaching Evaluations—Allyson Shortle and Colin Barry
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2018
Sponsored Speakers
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2016
- Peter B. Mortensen (U. of Aarhus, DK)
- Anthony M. Bertelli (NYU)
- Herschal F. Thomas (UT Arlington)
Moderator, 3rd Presidential Debate, OU Votes
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2016
Carl Albert Center (CAC) Search Committee
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2016
MPA Admissions Committee
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2015
American Politics Search Committee
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2014
Ewing Fellowship Selection Committee
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK USA
2014
Associate Director, Policy Agendas Project
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2013 - 2009
Graduate Admiissions Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2013 - 2012
Peer Teaching Review Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2013 - 2011
Human Subjects Review Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2013 - 2009
Course Transformation Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2011
Latino Public Policy Search Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2011 - 2010
Centennial Lecture Series Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2011 - 2010
Chair, J.J. Pickle Speaker Series in American Institutions, Public Policy, & American Political Development
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2010 - 2009
Library Committee
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX USA
2010 - 2009
Coordinator, Workshop on Public Policy Processes, Center for American Politics & Public Policy
University of Washington
Seattle, WA USA
2008 - 2007
Organizer, The Fifth Republic at Fifty: French Politics and Agenda Setting in Comparative Perspective
University of Washington
Seattle, WA USA
2007